Looking at Manet

Lives of the Artists

by Émile Zola, Robert Lethbridge (Introduction)

When Édouard Manet’s early paintings were greeted with outrage and derision in the 1860s, Émile Zola sprang to his defense, initiating a friendship that would last until Manet’s death in 1881. Then a young journalist with an eye for controversial causes, Zola was also seeking to launch his own literary career, which would eventually secure for him the reputation as the greatest French novelist of the late nineteenth century.
 
Zola quickly became Manet’s staunchest champion, defending the painter in a series of impassioned essays and polemics against the aesthetic tyranny of the Paris Salons and the philistinism of the general public. The first of these was an extended study of Manet that, when it appeared in 1867, staked the initial claim for the painter’s modernity; it has come to be regarded as one of the seminal writings on nineteenth-century art. Zola then wrote about his experience of posing for the portrait Manet painted of him. Finally, after the painter’s early death at the age of 51, Zola’s moving summation of his work and legacy appeared in the catalogue of the memorial exhibition. All are reproduced in this volume, along with an informative introduction by the Zola scholar Robert Lethbridge sketching in the broader cultural and political scene of late nineteenth-century France.
 

Genres: Art

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Émile Zola was a prominent French novelist, journalist, and playwright widely regarded as a key figure in the development of literary naturalism. His work profoundly influenced both literature and society through its commitment to depicting reality with scientific objectivity and exploring the impact of environment and heredity on human behavior. Born and raised in France, Zola experienced early personal hardship following the death of his father, which deeply affected his understanding of social and economic struggles—a theme that would later permeate his writings.
Zola began his literary career working as a clerk for a publishing house, where he developed his skills and cultivated a passion for literature. His early novels, such as Thérèse Raquin, gained recognition for their intense psychological insight and frank depiction of human desires and moral conflicts. However, it was his monumental twenty-volume series, Les Rougon-Macquart, that established his lasting reputation. This cycle of novels offered a sweeping examination of life under the Second French Empire, portraying the lives of a family across generations and illustrating how hereditary traits and social conditions shape individuals’ destinies. The series embodies the naturalist commitment to exploring human behavior through a lens informed by emerging scientific thought.
Beyond his literary achievements, Zola was a committed social and political activist. His involvement in the Dreyfus Affair is one of the most notable examples of his dedication to justice. When Captain Alfred Dreyfus was wrongfully accused and convicted of treason, Zola published his famous open letter, J’Accuse…!, which condemned the French military and government for corruption and anti-Semitism. This act of courage led to his prosecution and temporary exile but played a crucial role in eventual justice for Dreyfus and exposed deep divisions in French society.
Zola’s personal life was marked by both stability and complexity. He married Éléonore-Alexandrine Meley, who managed much of his household affairs, and later had a long-term relationship with Jeanne Rozerot, with whom he fathered two children. Throughout his life, Zola remained an incredibly prolific writer, producing not only novels but also essays, plays, and critical works that investigated the intersections between literature, science, and society.
His legacy continues to resonate for its profound impact on literature and for his fearless commitment to social justice. Zola’s work remains essential reading for its rich narrative detail, social critique, and pioneering approach to the realistic portrayal of human life. His role in the Dreyfus Affair stands as a powerful example of the intellectual’s responsibility to speak truth to power.

Reviews

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Olympia”, Manet’s masterpiece, an oil painting of a nude 16-year-old girl (on the cover of this book) scandalized Paris in 1865 when it was first exhibited. The fallout left Manet’s reputation in tatters.
Emile Zola, the premiere novelist in France at the time (and a freelance art critic) maintained that Manet was the most gifted artist of his day.
In this tiny treatise Zola lays bare his defense of Manet’s talent and character.